Your first paragraph resonates with me Randy. That is how it often is, but I’m not sure how many don’t realise or realise, but don’t stop to think about it!

It’s easier to offload than it is to take responsibility for ourselves. I agree with you that when we don’t allow people to get to know us or our personalities, we are less vulnerable or open to the elements, but as you say it can be very lonely too.

Misery loves company, so I try to stay away from attitudes and hostile personalities because engaging could be disastrous. Yet my attitude doesn’t depend on who a person is, it depends on who I am and how I think.

My ex-employer had an attitude that negatively affected everyone in the office and we were hiding in plain sight from his foolishness.

I agree with you Tim, but who we are and how we think doesn’t always go down well as far as those close to us are concerned.

It’s not that we say anything out of turn, but unless we’re living amongst like-minded individuals who think and feel the same way about things, it does make life more difficult for us.

It’s easy to shy away from people, but as your example shows that’s not always possible. It’s often easier not to get involved, but that’s not easy either because we’re often brought into the equation.

As they say we don’t look for trouble, but trouble finds us and speaking from my own experience that’s not easy.

Thanks Maria. I think what you have described is absolutely true not only for those of us with a disability, but in society as a whole.

Our behaviour can often be a consequence of how others interact with us, either because they don’t know how to behave around what we deal with, (in your case Cerebral Palsy) or it’s something they deal with, which they’re not coping with.

Although it’s hard not to take things personally, we often do which makes us feel worse.